The True Man
by Jes.ter.95
Summary: For quite some time, Truman has begun to question the reality of his seemingly perfect life in Sea Haven. When these questions are answered by a natural disaster causing his entire world to cave in, how will Truman react to the new exposures of the "real world?" With the new found truth that his entire life has been a fraud, will Truman ever seek vengeance upon Omnicam?


The True Man

Christof was working meticulously to organize every tiny detail of his set, from the real-life candy bars used by Marlon to stock vending machines, to the perfectly orchestrated conditions of the climate, all the way down to the _actual_ money that filled every cash register in Sea Haven. Diligently, he dictated every component to ensure his set's ability to operate as a functioning society; a society that would be perceived as a utopia by the common eye. However, in the real world, not everything is predictable. Even Christof was unable to brace his impeccably planned set against the most chaotic, natural phenomenon in the United States' history.

"Truman, you're going to be late! We really need this job right now, so please hurry up, dear!" Meryl hollers up the stairs as she vibrantly awaits his arrival. Positioned perfectly at the base of the stairs with a grin stretched across her face and his lunch in hand, the sunlight beams through the window and dances over her figure. It glistens over her popping red lipstick, through her beach blonde hair, and down to her manicured toes.

Truman, in an effort to ensure his timeliness, scurries down the stairs in a rush. As he rounds the corner to face the base of the stairs, Truman is surprised by the eerily 'perfect' picture. "Holy smokes, Meryl! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" He yells. After regaining oxygen in his lungs, he giddily asks, "Ooh! What's for lunch?!"

As if staring right into Truman's soul, well if his soul was planted right above his forehead, Meryl replies with excitement, "Well honey, I made you your favorite! Stew topped with Kraft mozzarella cheese, the finest blends of pasteurized dairy to hit the market since 1909."

Truman grabs his lunch from her hands, murmuring about how she thinks everything is his favorite, and continues out the door. Once outside, he climbs into his car to head for work. Truman shortly begins to realize there was no Mr. Spencer to greet him, no dog to maul him, and no neighbors to wish good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight to. He can't recall a day in the last decade during which this had occurred. Before Truman's mind can wander too far, a large metal cylinder falls from the sky and flies swiftly into the street. Its glass shatters onto the ground and its metal figure breaks in half. Truman slams on the brakes and curiously approaches it, finding the words "SIRIUS (9 Canis Major)" imprinted across the top. Truman thinks back to his childhood fascination with astrology and recalls "Sirius" as being one of his favorite and one of the brightest stars. As he looks to the sky, he begins questioning its authenticity.

Looking around he notices traffic has come to a halt and people are exiting their vehicles. Alarms begin ringing out of the sky, noises foreign and unfamiliar to Truman. He begins to see herds of people running madly in the streets. Dogs are on the loose. Truman is awestruck. As he looks back to the sky in an adrenaline-rushed-daze, he sees his world begin to, literally, cave in. Objects fall and smash on the ground all around him, water begins to pour in from dark holes in the sky, he can hear the screams of families yelling wildly, two cars collide and one man's head droops down onto the horn, electrical sparks start spewing, cameras are dangling, and walls begin to give way to new walls. As chaos explodes around him and his head begins to spin from all of the confusion, Truman's eyes scan the devastation that surrounds him again and they settle on what remains of an unfamiliar sign reading "Behind the scenes". Before he can make since of what has happened, the streets begin to flood. Truman is paralyzed by shock and fear. He is encompassed by the endless cries for help as people all around him run rampant, but finds himself compelled by his deep fear of water to seek shelter. Alas, Truman notices a building nearby and dashes towards it.

It's dark and damp, but Truman decides it's better than being outside. This was the first time in his life that he was left truly alone, the first time Truman had ever encountered this new concept of "danger", and the first time in a long time Truman was left to his thoughts. As he sat there playing over the scenes he had just witnessed, he mulled over in his head how much he disliked his life, how dead Meryl and his relationship was, how it seemed so fake, how their intimacy dwindled; how he hated his job, how every day seemed so monotonous, how he longed for adventure and experience, and most of all he thought about how much of a coward he had been. He thought about the car crash, and the screams. He thought about how he was too scared to help, and how he didn't help his dad either. Truman's heart cripples as his self-perception and life begin to crumble. His legs turn in, his hands cradle his head, and he lies there crying…crying…crying. Then, it stops. Truman's thoughts continued in his depression, like a rollercoaster he could not stop. Yet then, it hit him. No, not any falling objects. That everybody who lived in Sea Haven had not realized that they were living in a lie. They must have been feeling just as he did, right?

"I have to call my mom!" He yells. He pulls out his phone from his briefcase, the one thing he had managed to hold onto throughout the escapade. As he dials the phone, each ring seems to drag on forever. "Pick up, pick up, pick up! Mom, I can't lose you too!" No answer. "Maybe she's just with Meryl. Women cluster, right?" He begins to try to call Meryl. No answer. "Duh, Marlon would've taken them to safety. They're with him." He pleads with himself. He calls Marlon, but again the voicemail kicks on. Truman now believes his loved ones are in true danger. He vows to quit being a coward, and to get up and out! He musters up his bravery to go back outside.

What Truman sees next causes his legs to go numb. The world in which he has always lived was 100% flipped upside down. Sea Haven had become a disaster. There are piles of debris consisting mostly of building scraps, liter, and camera parts. There are abandoned cars, fallen trees, water everywhere, and broken backdrops. There isn't a single person in sight, and to top it all off pieces of the sky lay shattered at his feet.

"Helllllllllooooooo?!" He shouts. His echo answers. "Is anybody out there? Can anybody hear me?!" Silence follows Truman's laughs. "I know you can hear me, I know you're listening, you're always listening!" Truman's laughing continues. Truman walks throughout Sea Haven looking for any signs of life, but it appears everybody has left. "Where did they all go? Where's my wife, my mom, Marlon? What did you do with them!" Truman screams while his eyes remain fixed on the sky.

As he explores further, Truman finds exit signs along with massive black tunnels that have a faint light toward the end. With his world dead and no signs of any other life, Truman climbs into the burrow and begins to walk.

"Singing! Yeah I'm sii-ing-inng! Because Mo-m-ma says that sii-ing-inng will make it all better."

Truman's fearful that at any moment the hole will cave in too. Determined to find his friends and family, he keeps walking, keeps singing, and the faint light grows brighter. In fact, this kind of light is unlike anything Truman has seen before. Then, all of the sudden, a sky returns. Streets return. Clouds cover the full glory of the sun, but some rays of sunshine manage to wiggle through and cast a downward light onto Truman. He climbs out of the tunnel and makes his first step into the real world.

"Where am I?" He ponders aloud. Immediately he witnesses more chaos. People are screaming and frantically scurrying around, just like in the set. This mirror image causes him to believe that the city he's currently in, Miami, is just as artificial as Sea Haven. He simply postulates that the set has not finished caving in yet. In turn, he takes the ongoing hurricane as a joke.

"Hey, mister! Get out of there, it's dangerous!" A high pitched voice yells out from a distance.

"Haha, sure it is! I'm sure this is all so extremely dangerous! I'm sure water is something to be scared of, too, huh? I better go back?" Truman chuckles. "Oh, and those winds sure are hefty, nice job!"

Dismissing the man as a sarcastic lunatic, the girl scurries into a nearby shelter.

"Leave, leave like they all do!" Truman shouts after her in anger.

He realizes his fear of water was planted within him, consequently he rebels against this phobia by acting like water is not a credible threat. As the water builds rapidly, Truman stomps about the new found town looking for Marlon, Meryl, and his mother. He treats each pool of water like a five year old jumping into puddles. Until, of course, the bodies of water merge into a collected flood. Although Truman can't swim, he continues to giddily jump about in the water. A tree is uprooted and slams onto the hood of a car just feet away from Truman.

"Close call guys!" Truman cackles. "If you really want me to shit myself, try aiming it a little closer next time!"

The streets are now flooded knee high and winds are continuing to gust. Sand is being blown from the beaches, debris flies through the air, and a sign whizzes by Truman's ear.

"No, no, no, even closer! What are you, a bunch of noobs?" He taunts.

Truman continues his walk throughout the city. He notices that a semi is overturned, homes are smashed, buildings are left barely standing while exposing the wooden frames and interior of rooms, stray animals are everywhere, utility poles have fallen down, and hazardous electrical conditions are prominent. All the while, Truman maintains a menacing smirk. He hears a thunderous roar approach, the winds pick up, and rain continues to pour. Truman sticks out his arms, sticks out his tongue, and looks up to the sky. As he does this, he notices his face plastered upon a billboard that reads "The Truman Show! Join director, Christof Harris, in Celebrating 29 consecutive years of filming!" Truman stares in awe, trying to convince himself he is delusional. His own face stares back at him. Truman's tears begin to blend with the raindrops that streak his cheeks. He drags himself out of the flood, now realizing its inherit danger. However, at this point Truman has little care for life itself. Therefore, He doesn't bother seeking out shelter. Instead, he lies on a hill. Realizing that Sea Haven was a sham was nothing in comparison to realizing that all of his friends and family had deceived him for their own selfish gain. He had come to realize that everybody he had ever known was actors and he was, in fact, the center of a TV show since his birth. Somehow this is the life that some man he had never met before wished for him, and only him. He felt alone, abandoned, used, manipulated, and lied to. A new emotion overtook Truman's entire being. Vengeance. He wanted nothing more than to confront the man who created such a life for him, to tell him of the pain he caused, and for Christof to feel the same pain. Truman stood up and began walking toward his tunnel in hopes of returning to Sea Haven to find Christof. However, this journey was cut short when a tree branch soared into his skull rendering Truman unconscious.

There was a faint humming paired with a low sounding bass that seemed to be growing louder and louder. The deep tones became higher pitched, and began to sound more like a human's voice. However, it sounded like this human must have been drunk, being that the words seemed to all slur together. Then the noise became distinct and easily understood.

"Truman, wake up. Truman! Wake. Up. That's it, buddy. Not too fast, now. That was quite a hit." Trina says as she points to the bandage on Truman's head.

Truman opened his eyes, and was staring up at a group of four or five people wearing shirts that read "Anti-Truman Show". "Where am I?" Truman asks as he winces in pain.  
"My name's Trina. This is my house, well, my basement. I figured you might wind up here. The hurricane that caused your set to.."  
"It's not my set. I never asked to be there" Truman interrupts.

"Sorry, Truman. Trina's only trying to help explain. She didn't mean anything by it. Only that we suspected Christof wouldn't cut filming even in light of the apparent risks associated with the worst hurricane in history. We figured it would cause the set to crumble, and we figured you might have some trouble adjusting to the real world. It seems like we found you at just the right time." Bobby jokes with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.  
"Christof? You know him?" Replies Truman.  
"Know him? Everybody knows him, he's the most famous person in the world next to you."  
"I never asked for that, either." Truman whispers. He begins to sit up.  
"That was quite a hit, I don't think you should be going anywhere for a while. At least until we can get you checked out at the hospital, but the streets are too flooded right now."  
"Look, I really appreciate all of your help. I even like your shirts. Yet, this is a personal matter. Something I need to take care of. I don't even know if it's any safer in here than it is out there. I don't know you guys, and I don't have the best history with people taking my well-being into consideration. I can't expect to now. I don't know what's real from fake anymore, except this feeling I can't shake. I'm not letting him get away with what he did."

"Nobody expects you to. We've been fighting to get you out of there since you were born. Fighting peacefully. Even though it's not fair what he did to you, your life was real. You were real."

"Great, I'm real. I'm here. Living in a world that I never prepared for. I saw a dead dog today and thought it was just a prop. People screaming for help, and I thought they were actors. I saw flooding waters and jumped in. I refused to listen to a stranger who tried to warn me about very clear danger. I don't know how to live here, it's obvious. Nothing will ever seem real, not here." Truman proclaims as he stubbornly rises to his feet, refusing to heed their medical advice.

Footsteps emerge and Sylvia chimes in, "What about me, do I seem real?"

Truman remembered this voice. He heard it every night in his dreams. He heard footsteps approach, and then an all-too-familiar face appeared. "Sylvia..it's, i..I thought you were in Fiji." Trina and the other Anti-Truman Show protesters leave the room.  
"That wasn't my dad, I never went to Fiji like he said. He lied to you Truman. They all lied to you. I'm sure you know that, now."  
"You didn't. You told me, on the beach. You were the only person to ever tell me the truth. I just didn't know how to listen. I didn't know it was all fairytale, but you tried to tell me. I know that, now, too."  
"I never forgot about you, Truman, I fought for you every day. I started an entire political movement to try to help. I still couldn't save you from the pain he caused. But Truman, the moment you decide on seeking out vengeance is the moment you'll have to begin digging two graves. One for him, and one for you. I don't want to lose you again. Not to him, not again."  
"To be honest, I haven't been able to think about Christof for a single second since I saw you. I would do anything to keep this moment alive. I dreamt about it too, but I didn't think..I didn't think this could really happen. Now I know it can, and I would never let that go. I'll never lose you again, Sylvia. But I also know that there are consequences to your actions, and Christof _will_ be held responsible."  
"I know. Trina! Bobby! Everybody, get in here!" Sylvia hollered.  
"Bobby joined our group about five years ago, he's a lawyer. Together, we've been working up a lawsuit that would be able to put Omnicam out of business for good. I knew you would make it out, Truman. It was just a matter of time. Now it's just up to you if you'd like to press charges. If everything goes as planned, Christof would go to jail for quite some time. Nobody would ever have to go through what you did, no child would be adopted by a corporation ever again. Your life, your heartbreak, it wasn't in vain. With the proceeds, you can live whatever life you want. Now you're in control, Truman."  
Silence overtook the room and the air hung heavy as Truman processed his option, until bluntly proposing, "There's only one question on my mind. Are you ready to go to Fiji?"


End file.
